Pyromaniac
by RighteousCucumber
Summary: The last step over the top of the hill brought to him a scene that made his heart drop to his stomach and his entrails turn cold.
1. Chapter 1

A.N.

I don't really know when or where I want this to take place. It's just something that came to me in a dream that was very fallout like.

Future chapters will have more fallout related stuff. If there is interest. on that note.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own fallout or anything related to it.

Without further ado I give you...

PYROMANIAC

The sun was sinking in the sky over his shoulder, making the sweltering heat of the wasteland slightly more bearable. The walk was a long one. His legs ached and longed for rest. He turned to his right expecting to see something, when he did not it caused him to pause. A slight thrill of panic went through him. Turning to look behind him slowed his heart. There she was ten paces behind kneeling in the dust.

"Come on, get up it's not much further." He said pointing to a spot just over the hill. "Look you can see the camp fire smoke." Sure enough one could see three distinct columns of smoke rising into the after noon sky just beyond the hill.

"But my legs hurt." The whiny reply made his expression sour.

" Well I won't carry you, my legs are sore too."

"But I can't take another step."

He stared at her kneeling there in the dust, eyes big and pleading. He let out a wherry sigh, He was defeated. "All right get on my back."

" Yippee!" The cheery response as she ran over brought a smile to his face.

He knelt to let her scramble on. " Only until the edge of camp."

"Mm-hmm." She nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs in the crooks of his arms. He stood unsteady at first, but leaned forward and marched on.

She was humming something behind him as they moved on. Getting closer to the top of the hill he began to feel a foreboding worry knot his stomach. Picking up on his apprehension she asked, "what's wrong?" Unable to keep worry out of her voice.

He stopped just before cresting the hill. "It seems too quiet."

She stilled and listened. The low din usually present when a small town of people go about their lives was absent. "Maybe everyone went to bed early?" She suggested, her young mind trying to figure the situation.

"Hmm..." He took a step forward, and then another each one filling him with more unreasonable fear. Dozens of thoughts on what the lack of sound could mean passed through his head, not all of them pleasant. He would hold his tongue though, he didn't want to worry her more.

The last step over the top of the hill brought to him a scene that made his heart drop to his stomach and his entrails turn cold.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: I got some views but no reviews telling if you wanted more.I'm posting this anyway. this chapter starts to get graphic.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own fallout or anything related to it.**

 **CHAPTER 2**

It was not campfire smoke they had seen earlier. There at the bottom of the hill where the ramshackle buildings that they called home should have been, was only smoldering ruins.

He swallowed hard trying to force down the knot that tightened his throat. " What happened?" The quiet whisper broke his shock.

" I don't know." his voice low and hoarse made the reply hard to hear from where she was.

" we should go down." the worry in her voice was thick.

There was a long silence that made the air get heavier. Finally it was broken by her quiet qwerry. " What if someone needs help?"

with his stomach still churning, and his feet as heavy as lead, he nodded and began the decent into the valley.

When they got to the edge of the settlement, her still on his back, the first thing that stole their attention was the smell. It was acrid and matalic, like the air after a thunder storm with the undertone of burnt meat. It made his nose sting and eyes water a bit. His already nervous stomach flipped and did its best to jump out his mouth. With effort, a gagging sound and a coughing fit he held it in. " that smell is awful. What is it?" her voice barely above a whisper.

"i don't know". He knew it was the smell of burnt people but he did not want to tell her.

Still they moved on. Stopping next at a scene that caused her to make a sudden sharp gasp. " oh god." she whispered and turned her head from the sight. At their feet lay the charred corpse of someone they once knew. Blackened and contorted by heat the skeletal form was now unrecognizable. That was all he could take. He dropped her gently to the ground, doubled over and released the contents of his stomach. His retching made her want to join him but she held it down and stroked his back.

The sun now low enough to cast long shadows distorting the town into a lonely and forgotten place. She stood by him until he could once again stand. He got up slowly and looked at her , saw the sorrow in her face. She had not broken even at the horror in front of them and he had. The thought made him straighten his back and muster his strongest voice. " alright lets move through and see if anyone is still here." despite how brave he tried to sound his voice still cracked.

" hmm." she nodded and grabbed his hand.

They made their way to the center of the settlement. Ruined and burnt out buildings to the left and right of them. The air felt thicker here and some fires still burned. He licked his lips and noticed the were slimy and slightly salty. It was the vaporized fat from flesh cooking at a high temperature that was permeating the air.

Their feet made crunching sounds on the hardened earth. They past the corner of a collapsed and burning shack to see it there in the middle of the clearing. His heart stopped and he couldn't breath as he stared at it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.**

 **Finally some fallout 3 stuff if only a little. So now my disclaimer actually doe's something.**

 **I do not own fallout or anything related to it.**

There in the clearing where everyone would gather for feasts and celebrations was the grotesque scene. Unrecognizable charred bodies were huddled together in small groups. There were some large bodies defensively curled around smaller bodies in a vain attempt to protect them from the all consuming flame. Their contorted skeletal remains no longer holding any resemblance to the families the the two once knew.

Even with this macabre scene in front of him his eyes were locked on something else. Standing between them and the array of corpses was a figure clad in the distinctive hell fire power armor.

The armor was not black like the enclave wore it, but dull gray. It had rusty patches and scorch marks that made a bizarre pattern. On the back was mounted the bulbous tank of a flamer. His eyes followed the hose from the tank to the igniter that rested at the figures side.

Suddenly it turned to face them. The helmet with its dog ear like protrusions blocked the figures face behind emotionless steal. The beady eye slits seemed to be burning a bright orange. Looking at the made his insides turn cold. He could do nothing but stare. His mind blank at first was now wheeling thousands of thoughts. Was this the one that destroyed their home and killed their friends?

The figure moved his arm to bring the flamer to bare. When the boys eyes saw the flickering end of the ignitor his trance broke. He was filled with a thousand terrible thrills. He had to run. So he did, dragging her along she managed a " wha!" of surprise as she tried to keep her feet underneath her.

"Just run!" he shouted. He was moving, fast adrenalin pumping through his veins. Moving and looking for some place to duck into and hide. He saw one of the small sheds at the edge of the settlement. " over there , that's a good place to hide" he said in a breathless whisper to her.

They ducked through the door. He swung her inside and closed the door behind them. He lead her to the far corner and huddled down on the floor with her. His breathing still hard he whispered "i don't think he followed us".

" I hope so." she whispered back.

For a while they sat, the only sound their breathing. She was about to say something but he put his hand over her mouth. Outside was the sound of heavy boots on hard dirt. "thud... thud … thud..."

the trudging got closer. His mind filling with dread. Electricity danced through him, they were going to be found. But the thudding continued and eventually got quieter. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She moved his hand away from her mouth and whispered " do you think it's gone?".

"don't know. but its quiet."

He inhaled and with it came the faint smell of smoke. The inside of the shed was becoming hazy. A faint crackling sound was getting louder. " oh no." his heart dropped to his stomach and began to churn acid. It had lit the shed on fire, they had been found. Smoke now billowed from the door, and they began to cough. Tears welled in his eyes and he could start to feel the heat. "look for a loose board its our only way out." he coughed out. They began frantically pushing at the walls of the shed.


End file.
